National Board News

Yesterday, The State paper published an article titled, "Lawmakers phased out a $5K stipend for SC teachers. But will they get it back?" The write-up includes quotes from Palmetto State Teacher's Association, the SC Department of Education, the South Carolina Education Association, and state Representative Murrell Smith. National Board Certified Teacher, Sabrina Williams, also provides her thoughts about the end of the National Board supplement. You may access The State article at: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/education/article233530282.html.

Candidates are reminded to always check for any updates to forms and instructions as the deadline for submission approaches. In some certificate areas, the Instructional Context form has been updated. Always check to ensure that forms you are using are consistent with the forms you downloaded at the start of the process.

​ROCK HILL — Data released this week by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards indicate that South Carolina remains one of the nation’s leading states for the total number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). Seventy-nine educators in the state, representing 30 school districts, recently earned National Board Certification (NBC). In addition, 513 NBCTs from 59 school districts renewed their national certificates, bringing South Carolina’s total number of NBCTs to 9,125.

Teachers seeking NBC participate in a two-part process that takes from one to three years to complete. The process requires candidates to reflect on their classroom practices, assess their understanding of subject material and examine their preparation techniques. In addition to preparing a portfolio with recordings of classroom teaching, lesson plans, student work samples and reflective essays, teachers must complete assessment center exercises to prove they have mastered the subjects they teach and also possess the skills to teach them.

“The National Board Certification process is rigorous and provides a framework for deep analysis of all aspects of teaching and learning. For this reason, National Board Certified Teachers often report that the process was the best professional development of their career,” said Dr. Jenna Hallman. Hallman, who is a renewed NBCT, serves as the Assistant Director at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA).

While it is possible to achieve certification without support, candidates consistently report that collaboration with other NBCTs and candidates eases the burden of the process. To this end, CERRA has created an infrastructure of support to assist candidates as they move through the certification process.

The growing number of NBCTs is critical in South Carolina as more teachers are leaving the profession each year. According to a January 2018 study conducted by CERRA, the turnover rates among NBCTs are much lower than those of all teachers in South Carolina. Specifically, the state’s teacher turnover rate for the 2016-17 school year was 7.7%, yet the rate was only 1.9% for all South Carolina NBCTs. The full report can be accessed at https://www.cerra.org/uploads/1/7/6/8/17684955/nbct_retention_paper_1.30.18.pdf. CERRA anticipates publishing another report with updated teacher turnover rates early in 2019.

Teachers interested in pursuing NBC for the 2018-19 National Board cycle can access further information on the CERRA Website at nationalboardsc.com.

​The Renewal Application Window is now open. For teachers who certified in either in 2008 or 2009, now is the time to consider renewing your National Board Certification. If you certified in 2008, this is your last opportunity to renew your certification. If you certified in 2009 and choose to wait until next year (2018-19) to renew, you risk a lapse in your supplement as you wait for your National Board renewal results.

Candidates who made their initial application to NBPTS prior to July 1, 2010 have the right to renew and continue to receive the supplement at the $7500 level for one additional ten-year period as long as they stay in a supplement eligible position. The legislation allows for these teachers to receive the supplement for a maximum of twenty years (two ten-year cycles).

CERRA has piloted two National Board cohorts this year, one in Greenville and one in Dorchester Two. Participants agreed to work collaboratively to support each other through the preparation of components one and three. They attended a minimum of 10 meetings in which a CERRA staff member took them through a series of activities and workshops to better understand the expectations and develop their submissions. Each participant has successfully submitted the components to National Board. Listen to their testimonials below about the nature of working with an organized cohort.

Meet the Greenville NB cohort led by Jenna Hallman

Meet the Dorchester 2 NB cohort led by Suzanne Koty

In addition to CERRA facilitators, two National Board Certified Teachers stepped up to serve as mentors to the cohort participants in Dorchester 2. They worked behind the scenes to support each of the candidates individually and collectively in some additional meetings. They will lead their own cohort next year and continue to work with CERRA in a cohort. Listen to what they had to say about taking on this teacher leadership role.

Here are three videos to walk you through the process of submission. Be sure to click on each of the buttons to view all three videos.These videos are property of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and may be found on their website.

According to the NBPTS, these are questions to ask yourself before you submit.

Is your evidence complete and formatted correctly? Did you play back your video to test the recording quality? Did you answer the guiding questions and prompts in your commentaries? Does your class meet the age and content requirements for the certificate area? Have you ensured that you have not included any last names or copyrighted materials?

Everyone at CERRA wishes you the best of luck in your pursuit of National Board Certification.

Have you visited theNational Board websitelately? ​​They have made animportant announcementthat may impact you as​a candidate.

​

The January 31st deadline has been extended to February 28th.

February 28th is now the last day to​ * register to become a candidate. * pay the fees for the components you have selected. * change certificate, speciality area, or component selection. * withdraw from candidacy.

Anna Baldwin, EdD is a high school English and history teacher. She was the 2014 Montana Teacher of the Year and is currently a 2016 Classroom Teaching Ambassador Fellow with the US Department of Education. Like many teachers, she sensed that pursuing Natinal Board Certification would be a valuable gift she could give herself. Check out her blog to hear how she is overcoming the obstacles to the National Board process in her rural district in her pursuit of this gift for not only herself but also her colleagues.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is celebrating NBCTs this week with the release of scores. South Carolina ranked second in the nation for newly renewed NBCTs.* We remain third in the nation for the total number of board certified teachers in the state with a total of 8,928 NBCTs.*

This accomplishment shows the committment South Carolina teachers have towards improved practice. We are growing accomplished teachers in our state by record numbers.

Congratulations to all of the teachers in South Carolina who successfully achieved Renewal taking us to second in the nation!

Join teachers all across the nation this week in celebrating accomplished teaching using #TeamNBCT.

It’s that time of year! The NBPTS has completed the scoring of components submitted to them during the 2015-16 assessment cycle. If you completed and submitted any components during that cycle, you will be able to access your score report on Saturday, December 10th through your National Board account. You should log in now to make sure you know your user name and password as you will not be able to retrieve or update any login information starting on Friday, December 9th until 1-2 days after the scores are released.

The Scoring Guide has been updated. You will find an updated Score Report example and more information regarding Retaking components.

‘Tis the season to celebrate! #TeamNBCT Week begins on Monday, December 12th! This will include the public release of all new and renewed NBCTs. Throughout the week of December 12th-16th, the NBPTS will be celebrating all Board-certified teachers. Follow on Twitter, and use the hashtag #TeamNBCT to join in the celebrations.